A psalm to end the day,
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. Psalm 9:1
Mark 12:13-17 (<<click to read the passage)
Patience…long-suffering… aren’t we all glad that God has these character traits? Once more the Pharisees come to Jesus in yet another doomed attempt to trip Him up. Can’t you seem Him just shaking his head? Here we go again…will they never learn?
They may have been a hopeless lot but honestly, I don’t believe that Jesus ever gave up on the religious leaders. Even though they were determined to get rid of Him, He still loved them. Even when He laid into them for their arrogant behavior, I don’t think He had lost patience with them so much as He was trying to get it through their thick skulls what was at stake. He loved them…no doubt about it.
Lord Jesus, my finite mind cannot begin to count the times You’ve shaken Your head at me. But time after time, your long-suffering prevails. Your undeserved grace is extended. Your unearned mercy is generously given out. And forgiveness – not the “lets-see-if-you-can-do better-next-time” type of forgiveness – but the He has removed our sins from us “as-far-as-the-east-is-from-the-west” kind of forgiveness (Psalm 103:12).
Humbling, isn’t it?
And even more so, when we think of all the people we don’t like – or dare I even say hate? People who don’t believe as we do, who don’t act as we do, who say and think things which we wouldn’t – all of “those” people…Jesus loves them, too. The long-suffering prevails, the grace is extended, the mercy is there to be given out. And no matter what, if they – as we – would turn from their rebellious ways, He would remove their sins with the “as-far-as-the-east-is-from-the-west” kind of forgiveness, too.
Lord Jesus, help me to be humbly grateful for what is given to me by Your almighty hand. May I be grateful that it is not the back of Your hand across my face but it is an extended hand to gently see me back on the narrow way once more. Thank You…
July 2nd, 2019, Tues, 8:50 pm
